"Big Little Lies," the David E. Kelley HBO hit, wrapped up the series Monday night as an arguably perfect seven-episode run.

Five women — Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste (Nicole Kidman), Jane (Shailene Woodley), Renata (Laura Dern) and Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) — carried the crime drama as viewers attempted to figure out who was murdered and who did the killing.

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WARNING: SPOILERS

The finale wrapped up all the mysteries, and even some we weren't expecting to be answered: Bonnie pushed Celeste's husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgård) down the steps after the public reveal that he beat his wife and had raped Jane.

The critical success and ratings — the finale drew 1.9 million viewers, according to Deadline — drew requests for a second season, despite the planned finite run.

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"We've been talking with the writer, and you guys should Facebook (author) Liane Moriarty and tell her how much you want to see 'Big Little Lies 2,'" Witherspoon said in a Facebook Live.

"That would be good. She's thinking about ideas, and so we would love to hear ideas."

Nicole Kidman expressed a similar desire for a sophomore season.

Director Jean-Marc Vallée, however, had a different proposition.

The show, which handled rape, domestic violence and therapy better than most of its predecessors, was only ever supposed to be shortlived. (Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/HBO)

"The detective doesn't want to let go and that's how we finish that. And we think, 'Did they do the right thing? What will happen?' Now it's up to the audience and their imagination to figure out. To do a season two, I'm not for it," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "Let's move on and do something else! If there's an opportunity to reunite with Reese, Nicole and these characters of course, I'll be a part of it, but 'Big Little Lies 1' is a one-time deal. 'Big Little Lies 2?' Nah. The end is for the audience to talk about. Imagine what you want to imagine and that's it. We won't give you a season two because it's so good like this. Why spoil it?"

Vallée has the right idea.

Peak TV has a problem: Shows end when they stop making money, not when the story ends. And because of that, once-great programs sputter to a finale without a plot, original characters or whatever made it wonderful in the beginning.

"Big Little Lies" has a chance to buck that trend if it lets Perry lay where he died.

How much did she see? Why was she watching? Is she going to pursue charges? Does she believe the women when they say Perry's death was an accident?

There's enough of a story for a second season. But there doesn't need to be one.

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"Big Little Lies" was a miraculous tale of female empowerment and sacrifice. The show's take on therapy and domestic violence was revolutionary. Witherspoon, Kidman, Woodley, Dern and Kravitz proved they have the acting chops for serious work, not just "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Divergent."